Goa

When you say ‘Goa’ what instantly comes to mind is a picture of a wide sunny beach, beautiful blue sky and swaying palm trees. Paradise indeed, because Goa’s 82 mile coastline has some of the world’s best beaches. Though the beach area is rapidly getting built up, there are still vast areas of beautiful unspoilt beaches to enjoy. Deciding where to go can be difficult but if you are looking for plenty of company, Calangute, Baga & Chapora have it all – a great beach, lots of people, loungers, interesting beach front eating shacks and during the season (November to April)  -  music and dancing.

Quieter beaches are Anjuna, Chapora, Arambol and Vagator, with Benaulim, a near deserted paradise falling somewhere in between.

Calangute and Baga

A bracing breeze and perhaps the sight of fishermen taking in the morning’s catch will greet early ramblers on Calangute. In the day though it witnesses considerable activity owing to its overwhelming popularity. If you want to be in the thick of things, then head for it. This southern stretch of the Candolim beach has everything from henna artists to bhelpuri stalls, kashmiri handicraft merchants, tribal women selling artefacts, masseurs et al. However their incessant hassling and pressure selling can become tedious. If you are going to buy, bargain very hard and don’t be afraid to offer a price far below the price first quoted. 

The entire offshore stretch from Calangute to Baga is dotted with a quaint assortment of hotels and eating-places. The ambience ranges from old-style Portuguese to modern and is part of the unique charm of Goa.

Calangute's heyday as the Mecca of all expatriate hippies has passed and it has undergone a metamorphosis to become the centre of Goa's rapidly expanding package tourist industry. It isn't one of the best Goan beaches, but there's plenty going on and people who find some of the other beaches too quiet may find Calangute more to their liking.

The beach at Baga is for those wanting calm and repose. The landscape is more interesting. The estuary at the end of the Baga beach is particularly beautiful and the river is ideal for inexperienced swimmers.

North of Baga

To the south of Calangute lies peaceful Candolim, one of the lesser known of Goa's beaches. But the traveler who ventures further north of Baga will be rewarded with a series of secluded and serene beaches. The rocky Vagator with its creeks waiting to be explored, is irresistible for many. A canopy of dense coconut plantations sets the backdrop for the ramparts of Chapora Fort, dominating the surroundings from atop a rocky hill. Chapora is a short walk from Vagator beach and is well worth a visit.

Anjuna Beach

Swaying palms, sandy coves, and an unspoilt tranquility mark Anjuna and Vagator. Anjuna, once the haunt of the flower children - fugitives from Western civilisation - still retains memories of those carefree days. Famous throughout Goa for its Wednesday flea market, this is the beach that everyone went to during the flower power era of the hippies. Anjuna is different things to different people. The only way to find out is to go there and find out on your own. Full moon is the time when the parties take place. Unlike Calangute, the place has retained its charm.

Take great care of your possessions in Anjuna, particularly on party nights, as theft is a big problem. The bank has safety deposit boxes, which you can use. You should also take care not to waste water because there's an acute shortage, especially late in the season.

Chapora and Vagator

This is one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of Goa's coastline. Most of the village areas nestle under the shade of the coconut palms. Chapora village is dominated by a rocky hill on top of which sits an Old Portuguese fort, which affords excellent views from its rampart. Secluded sandy coves are found all the way around the northern side of this rocky outcrop. You'll need to have a torch handy as there are no streetlights and finding your way along the paths through the coconut palms is not such a romantic idea.

Little Vagator, the beach to the south, is very popular with tourists and a lot of people from Calangute and Baga come up here for the day..

Varca and Cavellosim
The 10-km strip of pristine beach south of Benaulim has become Goa's resort beach with at least half a dozen hotels of varying degrees of luxury.

Arambol

The hippie refugees who were ousted from Anjuna in the hey-day of flower power and acid-rock parties, came to Arambol and fell in love with its surroundings. The seashore is beautiful and the village is quiet and friendly, with just a few hundred local fishermen and a couple of hundred westerners during the November-February high season. The main beach is a good place to swim but up north, there are several more attractive bays and a freshwater pool, whose mud is supposed to be good for the skin.

South Goa Beaches

But no matter where you settle, the soft sands of Colva hold out the promise of sheer enchantment.

Benaulim is another beautiful beach of this part of Goa. Then there is Bogmalo beach, a stone's throw from the airport. A short drive from Panjim brings you to the tranquility of Siridao beach, a small, secluded beach that is a haven for shell collectors. Southernmost of Goa's beaches are the beautiful sands of Betul, with its aura of sublime peace.

Many of the beaches now have well-developed beach resorts which enable you to combine the comforts of a furnished cottage with the enjoyment of the outdoors.

Colva Beach

Southern Goa boasts a fascinating collection of unspoilt beaches. Of all these, though, the silver sands of Colva are the most beautiful. Few would disagree if Colva were crowned the Queen of Goa's beaches. 40 km of uninterrupted white sand fringed with swaying palms and calm turquoise waters mark the extents of Colva. In the moonlight, the water here is said to take on a magical luminescence adding to the wonder of this loveliest of Goa's beaches.  Finding your own isolated stretch of beach is easy, as only parts of Colva have been properly developed.

Twenty years ago, precious little disturbed Colva except the local fishing people who pulled their catch in by hand each morning and a few of the more intrepid hippies who had forsaken the obligatory sex, drugs and rock & roll of Calangute for the soothing tranquility of this paradise. Since there were only two cottages for rent and one restaurant (Vincy's), most people stayed either on the beach itself or in palm-leaf shelters, which they took over from departing travelers or constructed themselves.

Those days are gone forever. Even in days of yore, the property speculators and developers had begun to sniff around in search of a fast buck. Today, you can see the results of their efforts - air-conditioned resort complexes, close-packed ranks of tourist cottages, discos, trinket stalls and cold-drink stands. Between the Bus Park and beach, the small stream now runs black with pollution, unthinkable in the days gone by. 

Bogmalo Beach

Eight km from Vasco and only four km from the airport is Bogmalo Beach. It's a small, sandy cove dominated by a five-star hotel. There's little here apart from the resort hotel and a couple of smaller places to stay, the reasonably pleasant beach, several expensive beach cafes and the small village of Bogmalo.

Somnath

Somnath or Pattan Somnath is located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of the State of Gujarat. The temple of Somnath is one of the holiest pilgrimage spots for Hindus and is visited by pilgrims all round the year.

  

Somnath is situated at a distance of 79 km from Junagadh, 25 km from Chorwad and 5 km from Veraval Beach, on the confluence of the mythological Saraswati, Hiranya and Kapila rivers. The temple of Somnath has one of the twelve Jyotirlings or religious Shiva shrines of India. 

  

Somnath had been destroyed quite a few times by its invaders who were attracted by its treasures and wealth. As per the ancient inscriptions and carvings found in Somnath, it is clear that the place was originally inhabited by Aryans.

Somnath was a princely state of Junagadh before Indian Independence. The place received its name from the Somnath temple. Somnath is also known by names like Deo Pattan, Prabhas Pattan or Pattan Somnath.
It is believed that the first temple of Somnath was erected much before the beginning of the Common Era. The references to the Temple of Somnath can be found in ancient texts like Rig Veda, Skandpuran, Shreemad Bhagavat Geeta, Shivpuran, etc. 

According to legend, it was Somraj or the Moon God, who built the Temple of Somnath or Someshwar, Lord (Protector) of the Moon, out of gold. Ravana later built it in silver, Krishna built it in wood and Raja Bhimdev built it of stone. The Yadava kings of Vallabhi of Gujarat erected the second temple by around 649 AD on the same site.

Junayad, the Arab governor of Sind, sent his troops to destroy the temple in 725 AD.  Nagabhata II of the Pratihara dynasty resurrected the temple in 815 in red sandstone. Mahmud Ghazni raided and destroyed the temple in 1024 AD. King Bhoj of Malwa of the Paramara or Panwar dynasty and the Chalukya King Bhima of Anhilwara rebuilt the temple in the period 1026 – 1042. Kumarpal replaced the wooden structures in the Temple with stone in between 1143-72. 

 

Going down the centuries, Sultan Allauddin Khilji, Muzaffar Shah I and Mahmud Begda looted and destroyed the Somnath Temple and the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb even built a mosque on the site of the temple. Post Independence, the Somnath Temple was reconstructed in the Chalukya style of temple architecture.

It is the Somnath Temple that attracts tourists to Somnath of Gujarat. Tourists also pay a visit to the Museum that depicts the historical and cultural ethnicity of the temple town of Somnath. 

City Palace of Udaipur

Present  main entrance is known as elephant gate. At this place elephants were  used in tug of war games in the presence of Kings and royal cabinet.  This palace started by Maharaja Udai Singh but further additions were made by his predecessors. All new additions were well matched with the old structure so this palace became a conglomeration of eleven palaces.  This palace houses terraces, pavilions, corridors, courtyards, rooms and hanging gardens.  Maharaja Udai singh started this palace on the advice of a holly sadhu and constructed a shrine there. This shrine is the oldest part of the palace and now known as Dhuni Mata. Exactly above the place where the holly sadhu was sitting there is a bucket shaped big container. Coins kept in this container and then donated to people after the kings take over the charges of the country.

  In front of this Dhuni Mata is the gallery reflecting the rich saga of Rana Pratap Singh. The gallery displays the war ornaments used by Rana Pratap and his horse Chetak. The 25 Kg weight sword used by Rana Pratap Singh is displayed here. Rana Pratap use to carry two swords with him always. Before any fight he uses to offer one sword to his opponent if he is not armed.  His horse ornaments include one artificial elephant trunk used to confuse opponent elephants as baby elephants as elephants don't attack baby elephants. One big picture of Rana Pratap vertically  killing  a Mogul soldier along with his horse into two pieces in one stroke of his sword is displayed inside this gallery.   Pigeon cages are kept in a hall, pigeons are used to send messages in those days. Narrow walkways and entrance to rooms and steps were constructed even though the Marana families were tall in height to prevent rush of enemies or attackers suddenly inside the palace. Another reason was all has to enter to Kings Area with head down.  

    Maharana Karan Singh had added fine peacocks constructed in relief mosaic.  These peacocks are kept inside glass windows for the tourist to watch the colorful design. This place is known as Mor Chowk

  Zenana Mahal women's quarter  was constructed for women. There are beautiful antique furniture displayed inside the halls. Kerosene operated table fan is kept in the main meeting place for the women. 

Pictures of king hunting and their royal living styles are displayed in different paintings.

  Maharana Karan Singh constructed a portion of the palace known as Dil Khushal with mirror glass designs and miniature paintings  fitted all along the walls and roofs.

  Maharanas of Mewar are Surya Vanshi or decedents of Sun god. So they daily pray the sun god. One big sun god status made of Gold is available inside the palace and the kings use to perform puja here on the cloudy days when sun god is not visible. Outside the Palace there is another status of Sun God for general public to offer their pujas.  

There is a beautiful courtyard with decorative structures for light fittings is available for booking to organize functions.  

View of Lake Pichola and Lake Palace is available from this Palace.  

Light shows are organized during evening hours and separate entry tickets for this is available at the gate.
  Visiting time is morning 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM

Entry fee is Rs 50 for adults ( age above 12 years )  to visit inside the city palace. For child age between 5 years to 12 years it is Rs 30. Students in a group it is Rs 30 and teachers with student group is Rs 30. All military personnel with valid identity proof it is Rs 30.

Guides are available at a fee of Rs 100  

Entry is free for Handicapped persons.

Camera fee is Rs 200 for all types of cameras.

UDAIPUR

Udaipur is the known as city of Lakes is one of the major tourist destination of Rajasthan state. This city was founded by Rana Udai Singh in the year 1553 AD. Its Location is 24.31 north latitude and 73.42 east longitudes. This city became the new capital of Ranas of Mewar after the death of Maharana Pratap in 1597.   Udaipur still have its royal touch of Maharajas and its glorious history is visible in its Palaces, forts and lakes. The old city of Udaipur houses the famous City palace and Pichola Lake.   Udaipur is well connect by rail from New Delhi and other towns. Over night express train runs between Delhi and Udaipur. Daily train service is also available between Ahmedabad  and Udaipur. Indian Railway station code of Udaipur is UDZ   By Air Udaipur Dabok Airport is located at a distance of 21 KM from city. This airport is well connected from important cities.   Road network is very good in Rajasthan and Udaipur is also well connected to Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan. National Highway No. 8 connecting Delhi and Mumbai passes through this city. White Marble is available near Udaipur. The big market of Udaipur Marble can be seen near the city by the side of NH 8.   Udaipur to Jaipur  distance is 420 Km Udaipur to Ajmer is 288 KM Udaipur to Jodhpur is 269 KM   Sight Seen of Udaipur city Aravali Vatika Fateh Sagar Lake Sahelion-ki-Bari Mawar Hastkala Udyog City Palace / Museum Maharana Pratap Smark Nehru Island Park Sukhandia Circle Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandir Jagdish Temple. Pratap Memorial By the side of the Fateh Sagar Lake on the top of a small hill known as Moth Magri there is a big bronze statue of Rana Pratap on his famous horse Chetak. Saheliyon ki Bari This is park is constructed for the 48 ladies of the Royal court who came as dowry of the a princess to Udaipur. There are nice lawns and water fountains inside this park. Eklingji At a distance of 22KM this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva the family deity of Mewar rulers. Shivratri festival is celebrated here every year. Entry is free , photography is not allowed inside the complex. Nathdwara At a distance of 48 KM from Udaipur this temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The black marble status of Lord Krishan has got a big diamond on its chin. Foreigners are not allowed inside the temple. Cameras are also not allowed. This temple opens in many times in a day in batches and stays open for half an hour. Huge crowd rushes inside the temple complex for darshan at the time of gate opening. Be careful on pickpocketers and touts offering quick darshan here. Other places of Interest are Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal a museum of folk art exhibition, Shilpgram a craft village, Gulab Bagh or Sajjan Niwas Garden, Aravali Vatika and some other palaces. In some of the Palaces entry is restricted.

Lake Palace or Jag Niwas

Now used as a luxury hotel this Lake Place was built by Maharaja Jagat Singh II in the year 1754. Located on the island Jag Niwas this was named as Jag Mahal by its founder. This beautiful palace located inside the Lake Pichola has put Udaipur in world Luxury tourist destinations. This Lake Palace construed by using marble stones has a mixture of Moghal and Rajput architecture. This palace was subsequently used by Maharajas as summer resort. Taj group of hotels now manages this Lake Palace.


Jag mandir
By the side of Lake Pichola this is another palace built by Maharaja Karan Singh. This palace built by precious stones is another beautiful palace in Udaipur. Prince Kurram who subsequently became Mughal emperor Shahjahan took refuse here when he rebelled against his father Jahangir. Shahjahan was the son of a Rajput queen. It is from here Shahjahan was impressed by marvelous architecture and subsequently used the idea in constructing famous Taj Mahal.


Jagdish Temple

This beautiful Lord Vishnu temple was built by Maharana Jagat Singh I in 1656. This temple is located at old city of Udaipur and near the City Palace. While going to City Palace or on return this temple can be visited. There is a big statue of Lord Vishnu inside the temple. At the entrance there are 32 steps and two big stone elephants are placed.

Fateh Sagar Lake

  This beautiful lake is surrounded by hills was constructed Maharana Jai Singh in the year 1687. Due to heavy rain the old embankment of the lake was swept away then Maharana Fateh Singh reconstructed this lake in the year 1888 so the name given to this Lake is Fateh Sagar Lake. This is 2800 ft long and its maximum depth is 30ft. Every year a festival named as Hariyali Amavasya Mela organized here in the month of Shrawan. A good road passes by the side of this lake and gives spectacular look with the reflection of side by hills in water. Light shows are arranged in the evening hours. At the center of the Fateh Sagar Lake an island park is there and it is known as Nehru Park. There is a boat shape café available and near the park. One solar observatory is located in this island. From the bank of the lake boat service is available to visit the park. Charges are Rs 50 per person to visit the park ( both way ) and minimum 6 persons are required to book a full boat. On the way to the center of the Lake the boat will take a turn around the other side of the Lake before reaching the park.

If you are carrying a camera take good number of photos inside the park preferably with water reflections. You can stand at the boat shaped café and take photos of other areas of the park.

You can wear traditional dress of Rajasthan here and take pictures at a cost. The person here will take photos and will deliver at your Hotel before evening. The person was little hesitant to allow us to use our camera with there dress, but finally agreed and allowed us to take our own photos.

Udaipur

Haldighati is located at a distance of 40 KM from Udaipur is famous for the battle took place here on 18th June, 1576 between Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Mughal army of Akbar of Delhi. There is a museum storing many weapons and paintings of the famous battle. Light and sound shows give a glimpses of the events inside the museum. Entry ticket is Rs 20 and camera ticket is Rs 10 to carry inside. Inside the museum in some places particularly near the light and sound show photography is not allowed. Visitors can keep the camera with them.

Raktatalai
While passing through Haldighati Mughal army faced many casualties as Bhil tribes of Rajput army attacked from top of the hills. After a retreat the Mughal army reassembled and the main battle took place at a place known as Raktatalai or Khon-ki-talai is a plan are at the other side of river Banas where a furious fight between the victorious Rajputs and reassembled Mughal army. The Rana Pratap riding the famous horse Chetak was leading the Rajputs. Man Singh ( A Rajput and King of Jaipur ) was the commander for the Mughal army. The fight was so deadly that the place was full with dead bodies.

During the battle Rana Pratap Sing's horse Chetak got injured as one of its leg got cut when Rana Pratap attacked the elephant of Man Singh. To save the life of Pratap Singh the injured horse took his mater away from the battle field and cover a safe distance. After jumping a 22 ft river it collapsed and died. This place is marked with a Chetak Samadhi. This circumstance had forced the Rajputs to retreat and the struggle ended at mid day of 21st June 1576 AD

The soil of this Haladighati is deep yellow in color and resembles turmeric powder.

Later at Raktatalai, Maharana Karan Singh had raised on of the Chhatris in the honor of Ram Shah Tanwar of Gwalior and his three sons who fell fighting valiantly to the last drop of their blood for the cause of their patron Rana Pratap.